


Second Chances

by bookworm213



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bcuky is homeless after the events of WS, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, F/M, Homeless Bucky, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Skye finds him, Skye is a good friend, Skye is trying to help, can be read as shippy if you want, hope I got Skye's POV right, idk - Freeform, post-ws
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-08 01:47:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1922106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookworm213/pseuds/bookworm213
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post Cap 2. Mild spoilers for the movie and AoS. </p>
<p>Skye stumbles on a homeless Bucky Barnes and decides the least she can do is buy him food. And maybe she can offer a little comfort too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> This is based off a prompt on tumblr. I really hope I got Skye's POV right, this is my first time writing her. I also might turn this into a series if anyone wants it, let me know in the comments!

It was rare that Skye got a day off. Rebuilding SHIELD from the ground up required most of the time and energy of everyone involved. But Skye needed time to clear her head, clear it from worry about Coulson and Fitz, clear it of the burning hatred she still felt for Ward. Thank God Coulson had allowed her this time off from the investigation of HYDRA bases in LA. 

She was walking down Spring St. and considering stopping at Ruthie’s Skillet for lunch when she heard a scraping sound coming from an alley.

Skye stopped in her tracks. May’s training taught her to be alert for any sound that could mean an attack, and you couldn’t be too careful knowing that HYDRA was once again loose on the world. Slowly she poked her head around the corner into the alley.

A man was bent over and rummaging through an open dumpster. A baseball cap pulled low over his eyes hid his face. The threadbare jacket he wore looked like it had seen better days, as did his hair, which was greasy and plastered to the back of his neck. He continued sifting through the dumpster, and Skye quickly realized the man was looking for something to eat. 

She relaxed. It was just a homeless man. Her heartstrings pulled as she thought of how hungry the guy must be to resort to looking through a dumpster for food. Even when Skye was living out of her car, she always managed to scrape enough money together for takeout at local food carts.

She was considering maybe running into the diner and buying the guy a burger or something when the man shifted toward her, ever so slightly, and she caught sight of his face underneath the cap.

His hair had gotten longer, and his face was showing the beginnings of a scraggly beard. There were dark circles under his eyes, but Skye recognized him.

Recognized him from every HYDRA briefing, all the footage from DC of a ruthless killing machine, sleek metal arm strangling Captain America.

The 

Fucking

Winter 

Soldier.

Skye struggled to contain her gasp and pressed herself against the wall, out of his sight. It didn’t look like he’d seen her. She breathed steadily, her heart racing. Should she call Coulson? Or just run like hell? He was definitely capable of killing her with a single blow, despite her SHIELD training.

But something else tugged at the back of her mind, making Skye bite her lip, considering. When Fury had spent time aboard the bus, he’d talked about the soldier, how his real name was James “Bucky” Barnes, howling commando and closest friend of Captain America. How he didn’t remember who he was. And how he’d disappeared after pulling the Captain out of the Potomac, finally free of HYDRA’s control.

Skye took a deep breath and chanced another look into the alley. The Winter Soldier was looking dejectedly into the dumpster. He didn’t look like a killing machine. 

He looked . . . lost.

And somehow that pulled at her heartstrings more than when she thought he was just a homeless man. 

Skye took another deep breath. Very carefully she turned her body around so that she was facing the alleyway. Schooling her body language to appear as unthreatening as possible, she stepped into the alley, in full view of the Winter Soldier. 

“Hi.” She said as slowly and gently as she possibly could.

The man whirled, staring at Skye with startlingly blue eyes, hand flying to something at his waist. Sky’s blood ran cold when she saw his hand tightly gripping the knife. She also noted that he wore a glove to cover his metal hand. The Soldier- Bucky? Stared at her with a mixture of wariness and fear, never taking his hand from the knife.

Skye swallowed hard, struggling to maintain composure and not panic while thinking of what to do next. She searched his face, noting the hollow cheeks and how he’d been rummaging through the dumpster just a few minutes earlier, and she thought of a peace offering. 

“You know.” She started, forcing a playful smile to her face. “The food’s a lot better inside this place than out here.”

Something flashed in the man’s eyes that might have been surprise. Skye continued, “I come here often. So, if you want, you come with me, you get a decent meal, something I don’t think you’ve gotten lately, and maybe I can help with your . . .ah- situation.”

The Winter Soldier shifted a little, considering. Skye could practically see the gears turning in his head, that he wanted badly what she offered, but what unsure if she could be trusted.

“Look.” Skye said gently. “I know who you are.” The man stiffened.

“I wont go to SHIELD, I wont turn you into HYDRA, I just want to talk.” She meant it too. She didn’t think Bucky needed Coulson and the rest of the team poking around- not yet anyway.

Slowly she saw Bucky’s fingers slide from the knife. Slowly he nodded.

Skye grinned. “Great. This way.” And she moved toward the entrance to the diner, Bucky following cautiously behind. 

Ruthie’s Skillet was the same diner where, a whole lifetime ago, Skye had sat with Mike Peterson and warned him about SHIELD. The same guy was now a cyborg wandering the country, unable to be with his son. The lives of HYDRA’s pawns never end well, do they? Skye thought bitterly.

As they sat down Skye smiled at him again, hoping to diffuse some of the tension she was still feeling from him. “They serve really good burgers here. Order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

When their food arrived Bucky tore into the food like a wild animal, confirming Skye’s suspicions that he hadn’t eaten in a few days. Where had this guy even been staying? How had he even made his way to LA? Skye nibbled half-heartedly at a fry, finding her appetite suddenly vanishing.

As soon as she had gotten him into the restaurant Skye realized she had no idea where to go from there. She had no idea what how she was going to help this guy. What could she say? The helplessness hit her instantly. Of course, her being the one who always rushes into trouble, she gets the fucking Winter Soldier into a diner with no idea what to say.

Skye noticed that Bucky had finished his burger and was eyeing hungrily the one she’d barely touched. She sighed and pushed the meal to the scruffy man before her. “Here, not hungry.” She mumbled. 

She looked up again and noticed that Bucky was looking at her, a confused expression on his face. 

“Why are you doing this?” His voice sounded rough and hoarse, like he hadn’t used it in weeks. 

Skye found it hard to move her lips. “Because I heard about what you’ve been through. I don’t think anyone deserves to go through that. And I know what it’s like to feel like everything’s all your fault, everything bad that is. And I think you deserve a second chance.”

Bucky pushed away the plate, gazing at Skye. “I am a monster. I kill people. I don’t deserve help.” His voice cracked a little at the end. 

Her heart sank. Is that why he had been living on the streets? Avoiding Captain America and the Falcon? Skye’s mind raced. What would Coulson say? May? 

“Bucky?” He stiffened slightly at the name, but nodded.

“You can’t escape the past, the things you’ve done. That’s not going away. But you don’t have to be the weapon HYDRA thinks you are. You can remember, be the man you used to be. All you need is a little help.”

Bucky frowned a bit. Skye continued, “ I was blaming myself for a lot of things that happened when I was a baby. An entire village was destroyed trying to protect me. But Coulson and my team helped me move past that and now I’m helping to rebuild SHIELD. There are a lot of people willing to help you Bucky, all you need is to give them a chance.”

Bucky looked away from her, his lip trembling slightly. “I . . .don’t think I’m ready . . .to face anyone.”

Without thinking Skye reached across the table and covered Bucky’s flesh hand with her own. He flinched a bit, and then looked at her in surprise. Skye took a deep breath, then took her hand off his and reached for a pen concealed inside her purse. Quickly she scribbled her number on a post-it note and handed it to him.

“Well, if you’re ever ready, call me. I’m usually with Coulson’s team. And there’s a guy with us that’s a descendant of a Howling Commando. He might help jog some of your memories.

Bucky stared at her, shocked. “You’re not turning me into SHIELD?”

At this Skye grinned. “Didn’t I say I wasn’t going to do that? I think a guy recovers best on his own terms. Oh, and if you run into a guy named Mike Peterson, tell him you know me and he’ll put in a good word for the team.”

Slowly Skye got up from the table and turned to leave. She looked again at Bucky, and she thought she caught a hint of a smile on his face. That made her grin widen.

“Remember, always here to talk.” She said before slipping out the door.


End file.
